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10 Things to Think About When Remodeling a Kitchen

Our
kitchens are the hearts of our homes. They help us provide for our families,
and ourselves, and are often at the center of our homelife. More than a place
to cook and store food, our kitchens are where we will have some of most
important family conversations, over coffee or tea or a comforting sandwich.

Our
kitchens also give us an opportunity to express ourselves and our styles in our
home and give our home a signature look or appearance. When partying or having
friends over for dinner, a kitchen will often be an area people will spend a
lot of time together. A kitchen is a much more social place than people
realize. Here are ten top tips to help you plan your kitchen remodeling so you
can get the most out of your home’s heart.

A Place for Everything

When
remodeling a kitchen, you should try and see an empty room. In order to give
yourself the most options, don’t let things like the locations of water pipes
or electricity outlets make your choices for you. Pipes and outlets are easier
to move than you’d think in most cases, and if you start to decide where you
want your sink and outlet to be, you can plan the kitchen you really want, with
everything in the right place.

Light and Air

Where your
windows and doors are located cannot be changed too much, but that doesn’t mean
you can’t add some. Giving a kitchen an extra window can add light, and in warmer months
air, to the room. Extra light can really change a room’s character and
atmosphere and give you interesting options for the locations of sinks and
cookers.

Picking Colors

The right
color scheme is important for any room in the home. Choosing the right colors
in a kitchen can influence its whole feel and atmosphere. You can read more here about choosing the right colors for
a kitchen, it is more complicated than you may at first think. Try and keep
your color scheme light, to aid the function of your kitchen. You will struggle
to chop vegetables in the gloom of a dark room and more likely chop yourself.

Using the Right Materials

Material
choices in a kitchen can add a lot to its character. Using more natural
materials like wood and cast iron can give your kitchen a rural, farmhouse
look. By going with stainless steel and clean and clinical looking tiles, your
kitchen can be ultra-modern. This is an opportunity to put your own style into
your design, by choosing materials that reflect your own personality and
tastes.

Finding Your New
Appliances

Getting the
right appliances for your kitchen is a part you have to get right, for your
budget if nothing else. Cookers, dishwashers, ovens, and even sinks can be
incredibly expensive, and you don’t want to make a costly mistake by buying
something that looks the part but doesn’t satisfy your needs. If you are going
for a more rural or retro look, don’t be afraid to look online for previously
owned or aged appliances. Some kitchen appliances from as long ago as the 1950s
can still be just as functional today as they were then, but with a completely
different style.

Think About Flooring

Your choice
of flooring will impact your kitchen’s look and feel a lot. You may choose
tile, or stone or wooden flooring, but then you will have to think of colors
and patterns and the type of finish it will have. You should always think about
cleaning when choosing your floor. Many people make the mistake of
picking a floor for its style instead of its substance and are left with a
floor that looks great but is impossible to keep clean.

Pick the Right Accessories

What is on
your kitchen counters can give you a lot of styling options. From jars for
coffee and tea, to utensil holders and racks, there are a number of accessory
options for every kitchen. Here is an area where you can choose colors and
materials to compliment your existing choices, or contrast with them. Kitchen
accessories may be cheap and represent good value, but the costs can soon mount
up when you start picking lots of little items, so set a budget for accessories
and stick to it.

Choosing Tableware

The
tableware you will chose for dining should be an extension of your kitchen’s
style. Though it may spend more time in another room, being used to serve all
your excellent culinary creations, it should also bring some of your kitchen’s
style with it to your dinner guests. It’s a good idea to have two styles
available if you can afford it, so you can use one set for casual and regular
dining and have a superior set for special events and guests.

Moving Through the Space

When
planning your kitchen space, you should think about how you and your food, and
your plates, are going to move through it. Kitchen islands are a great idea,
and very popular, but if you can’t move easily around your kitchen because of
them, then perhaps you should make other plans. Also, think about how the
washing up is going to be stored before it is dealt with. Many people forget
about the dirty dishes, but they have to go somewhere.

Keeping it Clean

You can
spend a lifetime keeping a kitchen clean, so you should try and plan for
cleaning when you start designing your kitchen. Don’t just consider where all the
cleaning equipment will be stored, but also how easy your remodeled kitchen
will be to clean. Don’t let your design create any hard to reach spots.

Hopefully
this guide has helped you plan out your kitchen remodeling. Though such a big
job can be intimidating, with the right planning and preparation you can get
the kitchen you have always wanted without breaking the bank or losing your
patience.